Spiritual Meditations (13 Dec 2016 NewAgeIslam.Com)

Recently, a reader of my articles asked me
to write about how I remain so positive while living in Iraq. Even though I
live in a peaceful city in Iraq, he still encouraged me to answer his
questions.

His
first question was: “How, given the war, hate, conflict and really enormous
pain and suffering in the part of the world you live in, do you manage to
remain so positive?”

I
replied to him saying that I have made it a priority to feel good within. A few
years ago, God opened my eyes to something called the Law of Attraction. I
realized that our inner states attract outer events to our lives. I understood
that how you feel within impacts your outer experience. After God awakened my
heart to this truth, I began to work on feeling inner peace and joy within.

Since my goal is to feel positive, I engage in
actions that support this goal. I focus on my prayers and my relationship with
God. I try not to hear too much news and negativity. If it’s really important,
I’ll hear about it from some family member or friend.

One
of my favourite Hadiths or sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
teaches that everything that happens to a believer is good in some way:

“How
excellent the affairs of the believer! His affair, all of it, is good for him,
and this is not the case with anyone except the believer. If prosperity comes
to him, he is thankful, and if adversity falls on him, he perseveres patiently.
So it is all good for him.” (Source: Muslim, Ahmad)

This
hadith helps me to stay positive because even our hard times bring us
blessings.

Another question asked by this reader was how
I managed to remain hopeful of better days. I replied that I believe that hope
is the only real choice we have. Why would we choose to feel hopeless? Hope
gives us the energy to do good deeds and seek solutions.

Prophet Jacob (peace be upon him) lost his
beloved son Joseph, yet he never gave up hope of seeing him again. When it
seemed that he would lose another son (Benjamin), he said, in the words of the
Quran, to his other sons:

“O my sons! Go you and enquire about Yusuf
(Joseph) and his brother, and never give up hope of Allah's Mercy. Certainly no
one despairs of Allah's Mercy, except the people who disbelieve.”

(The Holy Quran 12:87)

Islam teaches us that this is not the main
life to put our hopes in. The next life is more important. The next world is
forever, while this world is temporary. The Holy Quran (16:96) states:

“Whatever you have will end, but whatever is
with Allah is everlasting. And We will surely give those who were patient their
reward according to the best of what they used to do.”

The
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “The likeness of this world to the
Hereafter is like a person who dipped his finger in the ocean. Let him see what
would return.” (Source: Muslim)

This
reader also asked me if I think it is possible to be truly happy and at peace
(and also hope that others can be so) amidst the immense misery and suffering
on a day-to-day basis that surround us, given that it might be easy for many
people to do just the opposite and fall prey to despair and negativity in the
face of it all.

Despair and negativity won’t solve our
problems, I responded. We have to turn to God and look for solutions. God
promises in the Holy Quran: “…And whosoever fears Allah…He will make a way for
him to get out (from every difficulty). And He will provide him from (sources)
he never could imagine.” (Holy Quran 65:2-3)

God
also promises: “So, verily, with every difficulty, there is relief: Verily with
every difficulty there is relief. Therefore, when you are free (from your
immediate task), still labour hard. And to your Lord turn (all) your
attention.” (The Holy Quran 94:5-7)

God
promises us that after every difficulty is relief. We must never lose hope that
our situation will improve.

Even
though we cannot change everything in the world, we can still do something to
bring more positivity to it.

True
happiness comes from having a positive relationship with our Creator. True
happiness is an inside job. It has more to do with our inner world than our
outer world.

Sheima Salam Sumer is an author
and trained Counsellor. She is the author of How to be a Happy Muslim.